Wait Times
While it’s very clear that this is just a Beta at the moment, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare has some serious wait times in the game’s lobbies right now. At first it seemed like maybe it would be a first time thing as your profile was made official and you created your multiplayer character. But, game after game led to incredibly long waits. At one point I waited for over 15 minutes to be put into a game.
On the plus side, I had no real issues once in a game. Everything ran smoothly with almost no lag instances, and I was able to get a feel for everything once in without ever getting booted. Still, the long wait can sometimes be a bit too much and it’s not uncommon to see players simply back out of a queue. Matches are rarely very long, so to have to wait upwards of 10 minutes for what can easily be a 5-10 minute match can be a real deal breaker.
Combat Rigs
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer uses Combat Rigs to differentiate different roles and abilities in the game. It’s similar in a way to Black Ops III’s Specialist roles, only it offers even more variety in the way the soldier actually plays. In one way, it’s an attempt to inject some bona fide class play into Call of Duty’s multiplayer, something that hasn’t really existed, but right now it seems to be falling a bit flat.
There are several Rigs that you can choose from, ranging from a class that’s high in defense, to one that trades in protection for unparalleled speed. The issue is that there doesn’t seem to really be much of a difference unless you’re the Synaptic Rig (the one based on speed). Everyone dies the same no matter what you’re using, and if you’re thinking you can take a bit more punishment using the more tank-focused build, you’re unfortunately very wrong.
Now it’s understandable that this is a Beta, a chance for the developers to see how players are utilizing the new tools given to them in order to tweak and adjust things. Hopefully they are watching, as they’ve done in the past, and this particular Beta worry will be nothing more than just that. But, if things stay as they are during launch, Combat Rigs will be off to a very bad start. If you’re going to introduce a system that presents different classes, go for broke and make them actually different, not just in name or by a single ability.
Synaptic Reaper
Speaking once again of the Combat Rigs in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, one in particular really needs to be looked at – the Synaptic Combat Rig. This is the speed/close quarters focused class, and that’s something that is pretty unique and will prove to be useful in the maze-like maps that are present in the game. However, when new approaches are introduced, there tends to be a huge issue with balance. How do you take a class that is built on being close and deadly and make it feel useful in a first person shooter when everyone is focused on staying far and alive? It seems that the only answer to this is by making it hilariously overpowered.
While the Synaptic Rig can be dealt with like any other before using its Payload (think Specialist Abilities in Black Ops III), it becomes a whole different ballgame once Reaper is unleashed. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Synaptic class seems to be the only one that isn’t human, allowing it to transform into a dog-like robot that is A) terrifying to see charging you, and B) virtually unstoppable. This quick moving form lunges at players delivering an instant kill while taking little damage from gun-fire.
It’s almost like the Hunter’s Bladedancer Super in Destiny (before the patches), leading to frustrating encounters even if you spot them from long range. While it’s funny for now (because you can’t help but laugh at being slain by a crawling robot), it will definitely become an issue down the line.
Spawns
This isn’t exactly an issue new to the Call of Duty franchise, but one that has been addressed in past games, and will hopefully be adjusted before Infinite Warfare sees its full release. Part of dying in a multiplayer match in any Call of Duty game is having the ability to magically respawn so that you can try again. The ins and outs of how this wonderful ability works is never quite explained, but it keeps fights interesting, and doesn’t leave players sitting out for the duration of a match.
Unfortunately, the only thing worse than having to sit out a match is being spawned in only to instantly die. Right now, during the Beta at least, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s respawn system can cause a few head-scratching moments. I’ve seen many players spawn directly in front of me out of nowhere, only to have them die by my gun. I too have befallen this same puzzling fate. This is definitely one of the more frustrating components of shooting games, one that still has a few kinks to work out, but other games in the franchise have made them somewhat manageable to the point where you can rarely blame the system for screwing you over. Hopefully that’s in the plans for this latest entry as well.
Crafting
Right now the crafting system in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare feels a whole lot like purchasing. You aren’t creating components and combining them in interesting ways, you’re just saving up to get the next level of what you already have. Basically it feels like a more complicated way to get more weapons. While the perks you can unlock are cool, it’s a grind to buy things you want (as it should be), but you can also get them randomly from Supply Drops which sort of kills the balance of progression. You can get lucky and bypass those players who have been working hard to save up and have some really potent perks on your side.
Ubisoft’s The Division may be struggling at the moment, but one thing that game did pretty well is its crafting system. Different components of the weapons really transform how they work, allowing players to fine tune their loadouts to their respective play styles. That’s quite possibly what many were expecting from this latest Infinity Ward release, but it just isn’t quite there yet.
Hopefully the system can take a turn towards actual crafting. Until then, it’s pretty misleading.
Are there any changes that you hope to see in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare before the game releases? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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